Baseball News at www.horizonleague.orghttp://www.horizonleague.org/
Watch live games and read the latest news on Horizon League Baseball at www.horizonleague.orgen-usWSU's Fucci, UWM's Langley Notch Baseball Weekly Awards<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/21617/hot_entry.jpg?1425333683" title="WSU&#x27;s Fucci, UWM&#x27;s Langley Notch Baseball Weekly Awards" /><br clear='all' /><p>
INDIANAPOLIS -- Wright State junior outfielder <strong>Ryan Fucci</strong> [Lexington, Ky./Tates Creek (Northwest Florida State JC)] has been named the Horizon League Batter of the Week, while Milwaukee left-hander <strong>Justin Langley</strong> (Beloit, Wis./Clinton) is the League&rsquo;s Pitcher of the Week, for the week of Feb. 23-March 1. The accolades are the first of both players&rsquo; careers.</p>
<p>
Wright State (5-4) was a handful of outs from collecting a sweep at No. 11 Miami, dropping Friday and Saturday games in walk-off fashion before cruising to a 12-6 win in the series finale. Milwaukee (5-3) started its swing through Arizona by splitting a four-game set at Grand Canyon.</p>
<p>
At Miami, Fucci continued his torrid start to the spring, going 6-for-12 at the plate. The junior opened the series by nearly hitting for the cycle, finishing a single shy of the feat in a 3-for-4 effort at the plate. Fucci drove in four runs in the 8-7 setback.</p>
<p>
In game two of the series, Fucci was 1-for-4 at the plate before notching one of his two runs scored in the Raiders&rsquo; 12-6 victory on Sunday. In the series, Fucci posted a 1.571 OPS.</p>
<p>
Through nine games, Fucci is 17-for-34 at the plate, driving in 15 and clubbing four homers. All three totals (hits, RBI, home runs) lead the Horizon League.</p>
<p>
After an injury-shortened 2014, Langley extended his strong start to 2015, going six innings without allowing an earned run in Milwaukee&rsquo;s 11-1 win over Grand Canyon. In six innings of work, Langley allowed just four hits while striking out nine, the second-most of his career.</p>
<p>
In two starts this season, Langley is 2-0 with 15 strikeouts over 11.0 innings pitched. The southpaw has yet to allow an earned run.</p>
<p>
The Raiders will continue their road swing to open the season by venturing to Miami (FL) for a three-game set beginning on Friday, Feb. 27.</p>
<p>
<u>Horizon League top performers (Feb. 23-March 1)</u></p>
<ul>
<li>
Sam Koenig, Milwaukee (Sr., OF) - Extending his hitting streak to eight games to open the season, Koenig was 6-for-14 at the plate against Grand Canyon. With two doubles and homer, Koenig posted a .786 slugging percentage.</li>
<li>
Nate Palace, Valparaiso (So., 1B) - Making two starts in Valpo&rsquo;s series at Gardner-Webb, Palace went 5-for-9 at the plate, ripping two doubles as part of a 4-for-5 effort on Sunday.</li>
<li>
Connor Philbin, UIC (Jr., OF) - Philbin went 4-for-12, leading the UIC offense in its series versus Missouri.</li>
<li>
Ian Yetsko, Oakland (Jr., C) - Yetski led Oakland with three hits in its two-game set at Arizona, posting a 1.000 OPS.</li>
<li>
Ian Lewandowski, UIC (Jr., RHP) - Tossed 8.1 innings in UIC&rsquo;s series-opener versus Missouri, matching his career high with six strikeouts in the walk-off loss.</li>
<li>
Dalton Lundeen, Valparaiso (Jr., LHP) - Taking the mound in Friday&rsquo;s series opener at Gardner-Webb, Lundeenwas the hard-luck loser, striking out a career-high 10 over 6.1 innings.</li>
<li>
Jesse Scholtens, Wright State (Jr., RHP) - Continuing his strong start to the season, Scholtens threw 5.2 innings at No. 11 Miami, allowing one run while striking out four.</li>
</ul>
<p>
<u>2015 Baseball Weekly Awards</u><br />
<em>Batter of the Week</em><br />
Feb. 16:&nbsp; Jeff Boehm, UIC (Sr., 1B)<br />
Feb. 23:&nbsp; Gabe Snyder, Wright State (Fr., OF)<br />
March 2: Ryan Fucci, Wright State (Jr. OF)</p>
<p>
<em>Pitcher of the Week</em><br />
Feb. 16:&nbsp; Brian Keller, Milwaukee (Jr., RHP)<br />
Feb. 23:&nbsp; Jesse Scholtens, Wright State (Jr. RHP)<br />
March 2: Justin Langley, Milwaukee (So. LHP)</p>
Bill PotterMon, 02 Mar 2015 00:00:00 -0500http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/wsus-fucci-uwms-langley-notch-baseball-weekly-awards
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/wsus-fucci-uwms-langley-notch-baseball-weekly-awardsWright State's Snyder, Scholtens Sweep Baseball Weekly Awards<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/21586/hot_entry.jpg?1424714924" title="Wright State&#x27;s Snyder, Scholtens Sweep Baseball Weekly Awards" /><br clear='all' /><p>
INDIANAPOLIS -- Wright State freshman first baseman <strong>Gabe Snyder</strong> (Millersburg, Ohio/West Holmes) has been named the Horizon League Batter of the Week, while Raiders right-hander <strong>Jesse Scholtens</strong> [Fairfield, Calif./Rodriguez (Diablo Valle JC)] is the League&rsquo;s Pitcher of the Week, for the week of Feb. 16-22. The accolades are the first of both players&rsquo; careers.</p>
<p>
One of just two Horizon League teams to see the field this weekend, Wright State (4-2) narrowly dropped its series at No. 18 Ole Miss, taking the second game of the three-game set.</p>
<p>
Starting all three games, Snyder was 3-for-9 in the series, with all three hits going for extra bases. In the Raiders&rsquo; 10-3 series-opening defeat, Snyder was 1-for-3 with a double and run scored.</p>
<p>
The freshman lifted Wright State to a 3-1 win in the series&rsquo; second game, launching a game-winning, three-run homer in the seventh inning. In the finale, Synder was 1-for-3 with a RBI double in a narrow 3-2 loss.</p>
<p>
Adding two walks, Snyder posted a 1.344 OPS, finishing the series with two runs scored and four RBIs. On the young season, Snyder is hitting .375 with two homers and eight RBIs.</p>
<p>
Scholtens got the start in the first game of Sunday&rsquo;s twinbill and tossed six innings without allowing an earned run. The right-hander struck out four while working around four Ole Miss hits.</p>
<p>
In the first two weeks of the season, Scholtens has tossed 13.0 innings, posting a 2-0 record and 13 strikeouts.</p>
<p>
The Raiders will continue their road swing to open the season by venturing to Miami (FL) for a three-game set beginning on Friday, Feb. 27.</p>
<p>
<strong>2015 Horizon League Baseball Weekly Awards</strong><br />
<u>Batter of the Week</u><br />
Feb. 16: Jeff Boehm, UIC (Sr., 1B)<br />
Feb. 23: Gabe Snyder, Wright State (Fr., OF)</p>
<p>
<u>Pitcher of the Week</u><br />
Feb. 16: Brian Keller, Milwaukee (Jr., RHP)<br />
Feb. 23: Jesse Scholtens, Wright State (Jr. RHP)</p>
<p>
<u><strong>Horizon League top performers (Feb. 16-22)</strong></u><br />
<strong>Ian Yetsko, Oakland (Jr., C)</strong> - In the Golden Grizzlies&rsquo; series at USC, Yetsko went 4-for-10 with three RBIs. The junior opened the series with a 2-for-4 effort at the plate, driving in two as Oakland built a 6-2 lead in an eventual 8-6 defeat.</p>
Bill PotterMon, 23 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0500http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/wright-states-snyder-scholtens-sweep-baseball-weekly-awards
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/wright-states-snyder-scholtens-sweep-baseball-weekly-awardsUIC's Boehm, Milwaukee's Keller Collect Baseball Weekly Awards<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/21562/hot_entry.jpg?1424109042" title="UIC&#x27;s Boehm, Milwaukee&#x27;s Keller Collect Baseball Weekly Awards" /><br clear='all' /><p>
INDIANAPOLIS -- UIC first baseman <strong>Jeff Boehm</strong> [Lansing, Ill./Mount Carmel (Kentucky)] has been named the Horizon League Batter of the Week, while Milwaukee right-hander <strong>Brian Keller</strong> (Germantown, Wis./Germantown) is the League&rsquo;s Pitcher of the Week, for the week of Feb. 9-15. The accolades are the first of both players&rsquo; careers.</p>
<p>
Boehm led UIC to a 2-1-1 opening weekend at Mississippi Valley State, clubbing three home runs and driving in 13. On the mound, Keller tossed six scoreless innings against Maine in the Panthers&rsquo; season-opening victory, setting the tone for a 3-1 weekend.</p>
<p>
In the Flames&rsquo; 24-5 victory to begin the year, Boehm drove in six, going 2-for-3 with his first long ball of the season. Boehm homered for the second consecutive game on Friday, once again going 2-for-3 with four RBIs. Boehm wrapped his performance with a 3-for-6 effort in the series&rsquo; third game, launching his third homer in a 12-5 UIC win.</p>
<p>
Largely pitched around in the series finale, Boehm finished the weekend 8-for-13 with three homers, 13 RBIs, six runs and seven walks. The lefty posted a 2.147 OPS, slugging at a 1.385 clip over the weekend.</p>
<p>
Milwaukee&rsquo;s opening day starter, Keller did not disappoint, allowing just five baserunners over six innings as the Panthers knocked off Maine, 10-0. Keller struck out four while limiting Maine to a .174 batting average.</p>
<p>
The season-opening win was the first for Milwaukee since 2006.</p>
<p>
UIC will head to a weekend series at defending national champion and current No. 1 Vanderbilt Feb. 20-22, while Milwaukee will meet 2014 College World Series participant and No. 10 Louisville Feb. 20-22 in Louisville.</p>
<p>
<u><strong>Horizon League top performers (Feb. 9-15)</strong></u></p>
<ul>
<li>
Lorenzo Arcuri, Youngstown State (So., 2B) - Batting .417 in YSU&rsquo;s opening series at Jacksonville State, Arcuri went 5-for-8 in Saturday&rsquo;s twinbill. The sophomore finished the day with three runs scored, a walk and two RBIs.</li>
<li>
Mike Brosseau, Oakland (Jr., SS) - In Oakland&rsquo;s season-opening series at No. 16 Florida State, Brosseau was 4-of-9 at the plate, driving in two.</li>
<li>
Daniel Delaney, Valparaiso (Jr., 1B) - Delaney finished Valpo&rsquo;s series at San Diego State 6-for-11 at the plate, collecting two hits in each game. On Saturday, Delaney hit his first homer of the year, part of a three-RBI effort.</li>
<li>
Ryan Fucci, Wright State (Jr., OF) - Launched a game-winning grand slam to lead Wright State to a 7-4 win over Toledo and a 3-0 start to the season, capping a weekend in which he was 6-for-12 with seven RBIs and a 1.750 OPS.</li>
<li>
Luke Meteer, Milwaukee (Jr., OF) -With at least one run, one hit and one steal in all four Milwaukee games, Meteer finished the Panthers&rsquo; 3-1 weekend with a .533 average and nine runs scored.</li>
<li>
Dalton Lundeen, Valparaiso (Jr., LHP) - Going six innings at San Diego State, Lundeen allowed one earned run and was in line for the win before a late Aztec rally. The Horizon League preseason pitcher of the year struck out four in the game.</li>
<li>
Jesse Scholtens, Wright State (Jr., RHP) - Making his Raider debut, Scholtens tossed seven innings against Toledo, leading Wright State to an 8-1 victory, punching out nine and allowing just the one run.</li>
</ul>
<p>
<strong>2015 Baseball Weekly Awards</strong><br />
<u>Batter of the Week</u><br />
Feb. 16:&nbsp; Jeff Boehm, UIC (Sr., 1B)</p>
<p>
<u>Pitcher of the Week</u><br />
Feb. 16:&nbsp; Brian Keller, Milwaukee (Jr., RHP)</p>
Bill PotterMon, 16 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0500http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/uics-boehm-milwaukees-keller-collect-baseball-weekly-awards
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/uics-boehm-milwaukees-keller-collect-baseball-weekly-awardsWright State Tabbed 2015 Favorite; Enslen, Lundeen Earn Preseason Accolades<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/21545/hot_entry.jpg?1423687725" title="Wright State Tabbed 2015 Favorite; Enslen, Lundeen Earn Preseason Accolades" /><br clear='all' /><p>
INDIANAPOLIS -- Wright State is the favorite to win the 2014 Horizon League Baseball Championship in balloting by the conference&rsquo;s six head coaches. The Raiders, who captured last season&rsquo;s regular season title, received five of six first place votes. UIC was runner-up in the poll for the second consecutive year, while Milwaukee placed third, collecting the final first-place vote.</p>
<p>
Oakland senior outfielder Rob Enslen was chosen the Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year, with Valparaiso junior Dalton Lundeen was picked&nbsp; as the League Preseason Pitcher of the Year.</p>
<p>
Valparaiso, 2012 and 2013 Horizon League champions, was picked to finish fourth. Youngstown State, the defending League Tournament champions was fifth, while Oakland rounded out the poll.</p>
<p>
Wright State returns five of eight position players from its 2014 League regular-season champions, with four of those players earning preseason all-league honors. Outfielders Andrew McCafferty (.274 BA, 3 HR, 33 RBI, .755 OPS) and Brad Macciocchi (.288 BA, 0 HR, 23 RBI, .722 OPS) joined catcher Sean Murphy (.301 BA, 4 HR, 35 RBI, .812 OPS), a 2014 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, and second baseman Michael Timm (.325 BA, 3 HR, 38 RBI, .899 OPS) on the team.</p>
<p>
Raiders reliever Andrew Elliott was also chosen among the preseason all-league pitchers. In 27 appearances in 2014, Elliott recorded 13 saves, striking out 61 over 41.2 innings and posting a 0.65 ERA.</p>
<p>
Jeff Boehm (.302 BA, 7 HR, 30 RBI, .951 OPS), the leading returning slugger in the Horizon League, joined Mickey McDonald (.297 BA, 2 HR, 24 RBI) as the Flames&rsquo; all-league selections. Boehm&rsquo;s seven home runs were tied for the League lead in 2014. UIC will also look to 2014 first team all-league selection Tyler Detmer (.330 BA, 5 HR, 39 RBI, .906 OPS) to make the transition from outfield to catcher.</p>
<p>
Milwaukee collected the remaining first-place vote among the coaches&rsquo; poll and put three players onto the preseason team. Outfielder Sam Koenig, who received a medical hardship in 2014, returns to a Panther lineup after hitting .286 on the season with two homers and 24 RBI. Tyler Hermann (.280 BA, 3 HR, 17 RBI) and Tell Taylor (.211 BA, 1 HR, 9 RBI) were chosen as the preseason all-league third baseman and utility player, respectively.</p>
<p>
Valparaiso will add five transfers to its projected starting lineup, but returns its Friday starter in Dalton Lundeen. As a sophomore, Lundeen earned co-Pitcher of the Year honors, going 5-6 with a league-best 1.94 ERA for the Crusaders. The left-hander posted a 1.02 WHIP, ranking in the top five among Horizon League pitchers in ERA, innings, opponents&rsquo; batting average and strikeouts.</p>
<p>
In 2014, Youngstown State posted the Horizon League&rsquo;s second consecutive win during the NCAA Tournament, collecting a victory over Indiana State in the elimination round. Picked fifth in the preseason poll, the Penguins will look to designated hitter Jason Shirley (.271 BA, 0 HR, 14 RBI) and reliever Kevin Yarabinec (20 APP, 2-2, 2.22 ERA, 24.1 IP, 25 K) at the plate and on the mound.</p>
<p>
Oakland boasts the preseason player of the year in Enslen. In his junior season, Enslen led the League with a .378 batting average and placed in the top five in slugging (.522), on-base percentage (.440), hits (68), runs batted in (38) and total bases (94). Enslen capped 2014 by being named to the All-Mideast Region second team. The senior is joined on the preseason all-league team by shortstop Mike Brosseau (.321 BA, 2 HR, 27 RBI, .815 OPS), who returns after earning first team all-Horizon League accolades in his sophomore year.</p>
<p>
All six League teams open the 2015 season on Friday, and Horizon League play begins Friday, March 13, with three series beginning that evening.</p>
<p>
The 2015 Horizon League Baseball Championship is slated for May 20-23 at Oil City Stadium in Whiting, Ind. The event will be hosted by Valparaiso and will feature single-elimination games on the first day, with the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds earning a bye to the double-elimination portion of the tournament beginning on May 21. The winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.</p>
<p>
<strong>2015 BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL</strong><br />
1. Wright State -- 35 points (5 first-place votes)<br />
2. UIC -- 28<br />
3. Milwaukee -- 23 (1)<br />
4. Valparaiso -- 19<br />
5. Youngstown State -- 12<br />
6. Oakland -- 9</p>
<p>
Preseason Player of the Year: Rob Enslen, Oakland<br />
Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Dalton Lundeen, Valparaiso</p>
<p>
<u>Preseason All-League Team:</u><br />
C &ndash; Sean Murphy, Wright State<br />
1B &ndash; Jeff Boehm, UIC<br />
2B &ndash; Michael Timm, Wright State<br />
SS &ndash; Mike Brosseau, Oakland<br />
3B &ndash; Tyler Hermann, Milwaukee;<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mickey McDonald, UIC<br />
OF &ndash; Rob Enslen, Oakland<br />
OF &ndash; Sam Koenig, Milwaukee<br />
OF &ndash; Andrew McCafferty, Wright State<br />
OF &ndash; Brad Macciocchi, Wright State<br />
DH &ndash; Jason Shirley, Youngstown State<br />
UTIL &ndash; Tell Taylor, Milwaukee<br />
P &ndash; Dalton Lundeen, Valparaiso<br />
P &ndash; Andrew Elliott, Wright State<br />
P &ndash; Kevin Yarabinec, Youngstown State</p>
Bill PotterWed, 11 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0500http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/wright-state-tabbed-2015-favorite-enslen-lundeen-earn-preseason-accolades
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/wright-state-tabbed-2015-favorite-enslen-lundeen-earn-preseason-accoladesYoungstown State's Lipari, Hamilton Named Scholar-Athletes of the Month<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/20951/hot_entry.jpg?1403901548" title="Youngstown State&#x27;s Lipari, Hamilton Named Scholar-Athletes of the Month" /><br clear='all' /><p>
INDIANAPOLIS&mdash; Youngstown State seniors <strong>Phil Lipari</strong> and <strong>Samantha Hamilton</strong> have been named Horizon League Scholar-Athletes of the Month of May.</p>
<p>
Lipari held a grade point average of 3.81 at Youngstown State and graduated Summa Cum Laude in May with a bachelor&rsquo;s degree in finance. He was voted <a href="http://(http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/horizon-league-announces-spring-2014-academic-all-league-teams.html)">Academic All-Horizon League</a> for the third time in his career, becoming just the third Penguins baseball player to be named to the honor three times.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
During the month of May, Lipari was named the Most Valuable Player at the Horizon League Baseball Championship as Youngstown State topped Wright State in the championship game. At the NCAA Bloomington Regional, he was named to the All-Tournament Team and the Penguins won its first NCAA Tournament game in program history. For the month, the left-handed batter hit .426 and had hit safely in 15 of 16 games.</p>
<p>
<a href="http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/youngstown-states-lipari-and-green-bays-michalkiewicz-collect-scholar-athlete-of-the-month-honors">Lipari was also named Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Month of March.</a></p>
<p>
Hamilton, an exercise science major at Youngstown State, graduated Magna Cum Laude&nbsp;with a 3.74 grade point average. In total, she was named Academic All-Horizon League nine times and appeared on the Horizon League Honor Roll eight times.</p>
<p>
In May, Hamilton was named the 2014 Horizon League Outdoor Track &amp; Field Female Athlete of the Year. The Penguin women completed a sweep in 2013-14, winning championships in cross country, indoor track &amp; field and outdoor track &amp; field. At the Horizon League Outdoor Track &amp; Field Championships, she won the 5,000-meter run (17:32.19) and the 10,000-meter run (35:30.60) and qualified the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminaries in the 10,000-meter run.</p>
<p>
<a href="http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/bader-fletcher-named-2013-14-cecil-n-coleman-award-winners.html">Hamilton was a nominee for the Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor, the Horizon League&rsquo;s highest individual honor</a>.</p>
Cam FullerMon, 30 Jun 2014 00:00:00 -0400http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/youngstown-states-lipari-hamilton-named-scholar-athletes-of-the-month
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/youngstown-states-lipari-hamilton-named-scholar-athletes-of-the-monthFour #HLBB Players Named to ABCA/Rawlings All-Mideast Region Team<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/20941/hot_entry.jpg?1402602541" title="Four #HLBB Players Named to ABCA/Rawlings All-Mideast Region Team" /><br clear='all' /><p>
Four Horizon League Baseball Players were named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-Mideast Regional Team.</p>
<p>
Wright State&#39;s Andrew Elliott - the Horizon League Relief Pitcher of the Year - was the First-team All-Mideast Relieft Pitcher, while teammate Michael Timm (second base), Oakland&#39;s Robby Enslen (outfield) and Milwaukee&#39;s Ryan Solberg (outfield) were all named to the second team.<br />
<br />
Elliott &nbsp;led the league and is currently ranked 19th nationally with 13 saves.&nbsp; The 13 saves tied him for the second-most in school history, only trailing the 15 by Mark Squire in 1999. &nbsp;Ten of his 13 saves came during league play, six of those on the road, including two each at UIC and Oakland.</p>
<p>
Despite pitching just 41.2 innings the entire season, Elliott tied for third in the league with 61 strikeouts, 34 of those coming in league play, and recorded a 0.65 earned run average, allowing just three earned runs and four runs overall on the year.</p>
<p>
The Horizon League Pitcher of the Week on April 27, Elliott is only the second Wright State pitcher to ever receive the Relief Pitcher of the Year award, joining Michael Schum, who won it in 2009, 2011 and 2012.&nbsp; Elliott was also selected to the league&#39;s All-Tournament Team as he struck out 13 in 6.2 innings of one-hit scoreless relief against Milwaukee on May 24, earning the win as the Raiders pulled out a 4-3 decision in 12 innings.<br />
<br />
Timm, a First Team All-Horizon League selection, was among the team and league leaders in nearly every offensive category in 2014.&nbsp; Overall, he led or tied for the league lead in runs scored (41), hits (69) and doubles (17), was second in total bases (99) and walks (31), tied for fourth in RBI (38), fifth in on-base percentage (.432) and seventh in batting average (.325) and slugging percentage (.467).</p>
<p>
In league play, Timm again led the way in hits (43) and was second in on-base percentage (.464) and total bases (60), tied for third in runs scored (27), RBI (22), doubles (9) and walks (18), fourth in batting average (.371) and slugging percentage (.517).<br />
<br />
Enslen led the Horizon League with a .378 batting average and was third in the conference in slugging percentage (.522) and on-base percentage (.440) in his junior year with the Golden Grizzlies. He finished the season with 68 hits, including 12 doubles, a triple and four home runs. He drove in a team-high 38 RBIs for Oakland and was named Horizon League Batter of the Week three times during the season.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Solberg, the Horizon League Player of the Year this past season, led the conference in numerous categories en route to a prolific offensive campaign. He finished first or second in batting average (.368), slugging percentage (.573), on-base percentage (.447), hits (68), home runs (7), runs batted in (43) and total bases (106). He also led the league with 24 stolen bases, tying the UWM school record for steals in a season in the process.</p>
Horizon LeagueThu, 12 Jun 2014 00:00:00 -0400http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/four-hlbb-players-named-to-abcarawlings-all-mideast-region-team
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/four-hlbb-players-named-to-abcarawlings-all-mideast-region-teamFour #HLBB Players Selected in MLB Draft<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/20933/hot_entry.jpg?1402600857" title="Four #HLBB Players Selected in MLB Draft" /><br clear='all' /><p>
Four Horizon League baseball players were drafted this past weekend in Major League Baseball&#39;s First-Year Player Draft.<br />
<br />
Karch Kowalczyk of Valparaiso (Los Angeles Dodgers), Tomas Michelson of UIC (Tampa Bay Rays) and Jake Morton (Cleveland Indians) and Jake Paulson (Cincinnati Reds) of Oakland were all selected.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Kowalczyk polished off a dominant career for the Brown and Gold this past spring. The right-hander collected 11 saves and compiled a 1.59 ERA along with a 0.97 WHIP in 2014. He closed out the season having been scored upon just once in his final 17 appearances.</p>
<p>
For his career, Kowalczyk amassed 24 saves &ndash; the second-most ever by a Crusader &ndash; and tallied a 1.74 lifetime earned run average. He was rewarded with the 2013 Horizon League Relief Pitcher of the Year Award after turning in an outstanding regular season highlighted by 12 saves and a miniscule 0.36 earned run average.</p>
<p>
Kowalczyk graduated from Valparaiso last month with a double major in biology and chemistry.<br />
<br />
Paulson posted a team-best 3.68 ERA in 66.0 innings this season. He finished with a team-high four victories with 45 strikeouts in 12 starts. Paulson was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week on March 3 after tossing 7.0 innings, allowing just one earned run with five strikeouts. He also earned the second win over a ranked opponent in school history allowing just two runs in 6.1 innings with eight fanned batters at No. 18 Oklahoma State on Feb. 22.</p>
<p>
The 6-foot-6, redshirt junior is 8-16 all-time with a 4.11 ERA in 44 appearances, including 28 starts. Last season he became a weekend starter for the Golden Grizzlies posting a 5.33 ERA in 13 starts in 74.1 innings.</p>
<p>
Morton, primarily a catcher at Oakland, was selected by the Indians as a right-handed pitcher. The native of Jenison, Mich. hit .239 on the season but raised his average to .296 with a .441 on-base percentage. He drove in 14 runs and scored 10 times in 2014 while making 35 starts in the field. He was named College Sports Madness Horizon Baseball Player of the Week on April 16 after going 9-for-13 with 4 RBIs including a perfect 4-for-4 effort against UIC.<br />
<br />
Michelson just finished his junior season with the Flames and owns a 13-13 career mound record.&nbsp; This past year, Michelson ranked second in the Horizon League with 93.1 innings pitched and third with 61 strikeouts.&nbsp; Michelson was named first team All-Conference in 2013 after he posted 65 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.08.</p>
<p>
One of Michelson&rsquo;s top moments at UIC happened on Feb. 20, 2013, when he tossed 7.1 shutout innings against then-No. 24 Texas A&amp;M.&nbsp; The six-foot four-inch hurler was credited with the win as UIC claimed a 2-0 victory.&nbsp; Michelson ended the day with five strikeouts and allowed just four hits.&nbsp; CollegeBaseball360.com later selected him as the National Primetime Player of the Week.<br />
<br />
<u><strong>Horizon League Players Drafted</strong></u><br />
27-815 Jake Paulson, Oakland (Cincinnati Reds)<br />
29-877 Tomas Michelson, UIC (Tampa Bay Rays)<br />
37-1119 Karch Kowalczyk, Valparaiso (Los Angeles Dodgers)<br />
39-1178 Jake Morton, Oakland (Cleveland Indians)</p>
<p>
&nbsp;</p>
Horizon LeagueMon, 09 Jun 2014 00:00:00 -0400http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/four-hlbb-players-selected-in-mlb-draft
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/four-hlbb-players-selected-in-mlb-draftWSU's Sean Murphy Named Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/20920/hot_entry.jpg?1401976428" title="WSU&#x27;s Sean Murphy Named Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American" /><br clear='all' /><p>
Catcher Sean Murphy of the Wright State baseball team has been selected as a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American as announced by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.</p>
<p>
Murphy was the Horizon League Freshman of the Year and a Second Team All-League honoree as he hit .301 with a team-leading four home runs and 35 RBI, good for second on the squad, while throwing out 18 would-be base stealers.&nbsp; He tied for second in the league in triples (3), tied for third in runs scored (39), was fourth in total bases (91), tied for fifth in hits (62), was sixth in RBI (35), tied for seventh in home runs (4), was eighth in slugging percentage (.442) and 10th in doubles (11).</p>
<p>
The Horizon League Batter of the Week on March 9 and May 4, Murphy tied for third in triples (4), home runs (4) and stolen bases (8) during league play, was third in total bases (56), fourth in hits (39), tied for fifth in runs scored (24), fifth in slugging percentage (.479), tied for eighth in walks (15), tied for ninth in batting average (.333) and was 10th in on-base percentage (.426).</p>
<p>
&quot;This is a great accomplishment and I am really proud of Sean,&quot; said WSU head coach Greg Lovelady.&nbsp; &quot;He has an unbelievable work ethic and uncanny ability to process information and coaching.&nbsp; Because of this, I have seen him make unbelievable gains and improvements from high school to now and I am even more excited to see what the future holds for him.&nbsp; He was a big part of our team and a huge reason for our success this year.&quot;</p>
<p>
Murphy was one of five catchers selected to the Freshman All-American Team, joining Zack Collins of Miami (FL), Jarrett Rindfleisch of Ball State, Tyler Lawrence of Murray State and Aaron Barnett of Pepperdine.</p>
Horizon LeagueThu, 05 Jun 2014 00:00:00 -0400http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/wsus-sean-murphy-named-louisville-slugger-freshman-all-american
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/wsus-sean-murphy-named-louisville-slugger-freshman-all-americanYSU Defeats Indiana State for Program's First NCAA Tournament Win<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/20896/hot_entry.jpg?1401592014" title="YSU Defeats Indiana State for Program&#x27;s First NCAA Tournament Win" /><br clear='all' /><p>
Youngstown State fifth-year senior Patrick O&#39;Brien pitched 6.1 strong innings, and the Penguins beat Indiana State 5-2 for the program&#39;s first victory in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon in the Bloomington Regional.</p>
<p>
YSU (17-37) will advance to play at 1 p.m. on Sunday against the loser of Saturday night&#39;s game between Stanford and Indiana. Indiana State, which entered the tournament ranked 21st in the RPI, finishes the season 35-18.</p>
<p>
O&#39;Brien allowed a run in the first inning, and he escaped a jam in the fourth to preserve a 3-2 lead. The Penguins scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth to go up 5-2, and O&#39;Brien, Josh North and Alex Frey maintained that lead the rest of the contest.</p>
<p>
Josh White went 2-for-4 and was one of five Penguins with an RBI. Phil Lipari, the MVP of the Horizon League Tournament, singled, walked and scored twice. Three players had a pair of hits to lead Indiana State.</p>
<p>
The upstart Penguins continued their late-season hot streak to knock off the Sycamores, who earned an at-large berth into the field of 64 out of the Missouri Valley Conference. Youngstown State went 4-0 to win the Horizon League Tournament as the No. 6 seed and has now won five of its six games in the postseason.</p>
<p>
Curry doubled on O&#39;Brien&#39;s first offering of the game, and he scored on a wild pitch with two outs to give the Sycamores a 1-0 lead. The fifth-year senior right-hander worked around a pair of two-out singles in the top of the second, and the Penguins offense started to click in the bottom half of the inning.</p>
<p>
White led off with a single to right, and Kevin Hix replaced him on the bases with a fielder&#39;s choice and an error on a double play attempt. Hix was thrown out at the plate on a great throw by Curry in center on Shane Willoughby&#39;s single, but Arcuri followed with a single to right that scored Willoughby with the tying run.</p>
<p>
The Penguins then took a 3-1 lead that they would not relinquish with two runs in the third inning. Lipari walked to start the inning, and Larivee singled on a grounder to right when the hole opened due to Lipari running on the pitch. Lipari then came in on Gillespie&#39;s sacrifice fly, and Larivee scored four batters later when Willoughby was hit by a 1-2 pitch with two outs and the bases loaded.</p>
<p>
Indiana State got a run back in the top of the fourth on three hits, one of which was an RBI single to right by Connor McClain, to make the score 3-2. The Sycamores had runners at the corners with one out, but O&#39;Brien escaped with the lead intact by retiring the next two hitters out on a safety squeeze and a ground out to Willoughby at shortstop.</p>
<p>
The Penguins capitalized on O&#39;Brien&#39;s big outs and answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Kurt Laver led off with a walk, and he went to third on Lipari&#39;s single to right. Larivee plated Laver on a sacrifice fly to deep right, and Lipari scored on White&#39;s two-out single up the middle off reliever Kurt Kudrecki to put YSU up 5-2.</p>
<p>
All five of YSU&#39;s runs were charged to Indiana State ace David Stagg, who had only allowed five runs in two of his first 14 starts of the season coming into the regional matchup. Stagg allowed six hits and walked three batters while striking out five in 3.2 innings.</p>
<p>
O&#39;Brien won his second straight postseason start, allowing two runs on eight hits and three walks in 6.1 innings of work. North came in with two runners on in the seventh and got back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning, and he worked around a leadoff single in the eighth. Frey earned his first career save by pitching a scoreless ninth.<br />
<br />
<em>(Release courtesy of John Vogel, YSU Athletics)</em></p>
Craig HammelSat, 31 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/ysu-defeats-indiana-state-for-programs-first-ncaa-tournament-win
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/ysu-defeats-indiana-state-for-programs-first-ncaa-tournament-winYoungstown State Headed to Bloomington Regional<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/20864/hot_entry.jpg?1401140998" title="Youngstown State Headed to Bloomington Regional" /><br clear='all' /><p>
The Youngstown State baseball team learned it would be heading to Bloomington, Ind., for the 2014 NCAA Baseball Tournament on Monday afternoon.<br />
<br />
The Penguins - who won the Horizon League Championship last week - will face overall No. 4 seed Indiana on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. Youngstown State will face either Stanford or Indiana State in the second game of the tournament.<br />
<br />
This is YSU&#39;s second postseason appearance in baseball. The Penguins also made the NCAA Tournament in 2004.<br />
<br />
Youngstown State entered last week&#39;s Horizon League Tournament as the sixth-seed, but the Penguins won all four of their games, including two victories over top-seed Wright State, to claim the championship.<br />
<br />
Last year, the Horizon League Champion Valparaiso was sent to the Bloomington Regional. The Crusaders led Indiana for much of the game before falling to the Hoosiers, 5-4. Valpo rebounded the next day to eliminate Florida before seeing its season end against Austin Peay in the next game.</p>
Craig HammelMon, 26 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/ysu-to-bloomington-regional
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/ysu-to-bloomington-regionalYoungstown State Rallies to Capture #HLBB Tournament Title<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/20858/hot_entry.jpg?1400975345" title="Youngstown State Rallies to Capture #HLBB Tournament Title" /><br clear='all' /><p>
The Youngstown State baseball team entered the Horizon League Baseball Tournament as the sixth-seed in a six-team tournament, but four wins later the Penguins were champions as Youngstown State captured the 2014 title with a 5-4 win over Wright State Saturday evening at Kapco Park in Mequon, Wis.</p>
<p>
YSU had two make two comebacks in the game as the Penguins trailed 2-1 heading into the seventh and after taking a 3-2 lead, they gave the lead back in the eighth and came up in the ninth trailing 4-3.</p>
<p>
But the Penguins proved to be the most resilient team in the tournament as Youngstown State scored two in the ninth to win.</p>
<p>
Kevin Hix got the Penguins final rally started with a one-out single and advanced to second on a fielding error. Lorenzo Arcuri then walked to load the bases with one out. The Raiders got Tournament MVP Phil Lipari to popup for the second out, but freshman Alex Larivee delivered with a clutch single to score the tying run and then a hit by pitch sent Shane Willoughby home with the winning run.</p>
<p>
Larivee went 1-for-5 in the contest, but arguably had the biggest hit of the season for the Penguins.</p>
<p>
Wright State had taken the lead in the bottom of the eighth with some clutch hitting of its own. With two on and two outs, Joe Ford hit a triple that got by YSU&rsquo;s leaping right fielder to score John Brodner and Sean Murphy.</p>
<p>
Lipari and designated hitter David Saluga each had three hits for the Penguins.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Trailing 2-1 heading to the seventh inning, Youngstown State scored two to take the lead. David Saluga and Josh White opened the inning with back-to-back singles and each moved up a base after a sac bunt. After a hit-by-pitch to load the bases and a strikeout, Lipari&rsquo;s single up the middle scored two runs to give YSU a 3-2 lead.</p>
<p>
The Penguins scored a run in the first inning for the third consecutive game as Lipari scored on a sacrifice fly by Matt Sullivan.</p>
<p>
Wright State answered back in the bottom of the frame though as Jeff Limbaugh launched his first home run of the season to tie the score at one.</p>
<p>
The Raiders took the lead in the fourth inning when Ford singled to bring home Murphy.</p>
<p>
<strong>(1) Wright State 4, (4) Milwaukee 3 (12 inn.)</strong><br />
The Raiders rallied from a 3-0 deficit to knock off Milwaukee 4-3 in 12 innings on Saturday afternoon at Kapco Park.</p>
<p>
Wright State trailed 3-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, but scored three in the sixth to tie the game.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
The Raiders then turned the ball over to the Horizon League Relief Pitcher of the Year, Andrew Elliott, and he did not disappoint.</p>
<p>
The junior right-hander went the rest of the way for WSU, striking out 13 of the 21 Milwaukee batters he faced and allowing only one hit. The 13 strikeouts were one short of the Horizon League record.</p>
<p>
The Raiders won the game in the bottom of the 12th as Milwaukee&rsquo;s relief pitcher, Tell Taylor, walked the final three batters of the game to force in the winning run.</p>
<p>
The Panthers struck first with two runs in the top of the second inning. Horizon League Player of the Year Ryan Solberg led off the inning with a short fly down the right field line that was just inches past the outstretched glove of WSU&rsquo;s first baseman for a double. Pat Wilson followed with a single to move Solberg to third. Tyler Hermann then hit into a fielder&rsquo;s choice but the second baseman&rsquo;s throw home went below the catches&rsquo; mitt and Solberg scored the first run of the game. Hermann scored the Panthers second run of the game when Dan Barwick&rsquo;s chopper up the middle went under the pitcher&rsquo;s glove.</p>
<p>
Milwaukee tacked on a run in the top of the sixth inning with a Wilson single to score Eric Solberg.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Wright State tied the game in the bottom of the frame as Jack Murphy opened with a double. He scored on a throwing error by the pitcher on Jason DeFevers single. DeFevers scored moments later as a wild pitch got away from the catcher to bring the Raiders within one. Andrew McCafferty completed the comeback when he scored on Sean Murphy&rsquo;s single up the middle.</p>
<p>
<strong>2014 Horizon League All-Tournament Team</strong><br />
P &ndash; Andrew Elliott, Wright State<br />
P &ndash; Jeremy Quinlan, Youngstown State<br />
C &ndash; Josh White, Youngstown State<br />
1B &ndash; Andrew Bynum, Valparaiso<br />
2B &ndash; Phil Lipari, Youngstown State (Tournament MVP)<br />
SS &ndash; Shane Willoughby, Youngstown State<br />
3B &ndash; Matt Sullivan, Youngstown State<br />
OF &ndash; Robby Enslen, Oakland<br />
OF &ndash; Ryan Solberg, Milwaukee<br />
OF &ndash; Jeff Limbaugh, Wright State<br />
DH &ndash; Pat Wilson, Milwaukee</p>
Craig HammelSat, 24 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/youngstown-state-rallies-to-capture-hlbb-tournament-title
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/youngstown-state-rallies-to-capture-hlbb-tournament-titleYoungstown State Advances to Championship Game; UWM and WSU Still Alive <img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/20852/hot_entry.jpg?1400900343" title="Youngstown State Advances to Championship Game; UWM and WSU Still Alive " /><br clear='all' /><p>
<strong><u>Horizon League Scoreboard (May 23)</u></strong><br />
(3) Valparaiso 1, (2) UIC 0<br />
(1) Wright State 7, (3) Valparaiso 0<br />
(6) Youngstown State 11, (4) Milwaukee 5<br />
<br />
<u><strong>Schedule for Saturday, May 24</strong></u><br />
11 a.m. - Game 9 - (4) Milwaukee vs. (1) Wright State<br />
3 p.m. - Game 10 - Winner of Game 9 vs. (6) Youngstown State<br />
<br />
<strong>(6) Youngstown State 11, (4) Milwaukee 5</strong><br />
For the second consecutive night, Youngstown State jumped out to an early lead as the Penguins knocked Milwaukee to the loser&rsquo;s bracket with a 11-5 win on Friday night.</p>
<p>
The Penguins jumped out to a 5-0 lead over top-seed Wright State after three innings on Thursday night. Tonight, YSU scored one in the first and then exploded for seven runs in the second inning to take an 8-0 lead before Milwaukee even had a chance to bad for the second time in the game.</p>
<p>
Phil Lipari led things off in the first inning with a single and scored when Matt Sullivan singled to the short stop.</p>
<p>
In the second inning, some timely hitting and costly errors by Milwaukee helped YSU break the game open.&nbsp; In the top half of the frame, YSU had five hits and two walks, while Milwaukee committed two errors, a balk and had a wild pitch to lead to seven Penguin runs (only two earned).</p>
<p>
For the game, seven different Penguins had a hit and eight players recorded at least one RBI. Lipari led the effort with a 3-for-6 effort and is now 8-for-16 in the tournament. Sullivan went 3-for-4 at the plate in the game with two RBIs.</p>
<p>
Patrick O&rsquo;Brien picked up the win for the Penguins. Staked to a 9-0 lead, O&rsquo;Brien threw 73% of his 94 pitches for strikes which led to 10 Panther hits, but UWM was never able to string together enough hits to threaten YSU.</p>
<p>
(3) Valparaiso 1, (2) UIC 0<br />
It was a pitching duel in the first game of the Horizon League Baseball Championship on Friday as Valparaiso defeated second-seed UIC, 1-0.<br />
The Flames were eliminated from the tournament and end their season with a 24-27 record.</p>
<p>
A day after Dalton Lundeen heaved 8.2 innings of shutout ball, Ellis Foreman threw eight innings of shutout ball to help Valparaiso avoid elimination for the second straight game.</p>
<p>
Foreman struck out five, walked one and allowed four hits total. Karch Kowalczyk came on in the ninth, and&nbsp; after a throwing error allowed the leadoff hitter get aboard, retired the final three batters to record his 11th save of the day.</p>
<p>
The Crusaders got their lone run of the game in the fourth inning. After a popup, Kowalczyk singled down the left field line and advanced to third on a single by Andrew Bynum. Andy Burns recorded the second out with a sacrifice to move Bynum up to second base. With two outs, Jake Hanson singled to center field to score Kowalczyk to give Valpo the only run it would need.</p>
<p>
Hanson paced the Valpo offense with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate, while Bynum went 2-for-4. All nine of Valpo&rsquo;s hits were singles.</p>
<p>
UIC managed to get a runner into scoring position in the seventh, eighth and ninth inning, but were never able to capitalize.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
UIC Sophomore Ian Lewandowski went the distance for the Flames, allowing one earned run on nine hits, while walking one and striking out one.</p>
<p>
(1) Wright State 7, (3) Valparaiso 0<br />
Two hours after shutting out UIC to stay alive, Valparaiso saw the other side versus Wright State as the Raiders&rsquo; Robby Sexton pitched a complete game shutout to eliminate the Crusaders.</p>
<p>
Sexton went all nine innings, striking out four, walking one and allowing seven hits to secure his League-best eighth win of the season.</p>
<p>
A day after only managing one run, Wright State doubled that effort in the first inning Friday as the Raiders jumped out to a 2-0 lead over the Crusaders after an inning. After an opening ground out, the next three Raiders reached base to load the bases with one out. Sean Murphy brought the first Raiders run of the game in on a fielders choice and Brad Macciocchi secured WSU&rsquo;s second run when his hot shot to third base was too tough to handle and all runners were safe.</p>
<p>
The Raiders&rsquo; added their third run of the game when second baseman Michael Timm executed a perfect suicide squeeze to score Joe Ford.</p>
<p>
Wright State broke open the game with a four-spot in the sixth inning to take a 7-0 lead. A throwing error on the first batter of the inning helped setup the Raiders for the big inning as the next three Wright State batters all singled. A double play momentarily stopped Wright State&rsquo;s momentum, but Murphy hit a two-our, two-run single to score WSU&rsquo;s final runs of the game.</p>
<p>
The Raiders spread out their 10 hits as eight different players recorded at least one hit. Limbaugh and Jason DeFevers were the only Raiders to record multiple hits. Murphy had a team-high three RBIs.</p>
Craig HammelFri, 23 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/youngstown-state-advances-to-championship-game-uwm-and-wsu-still-alive-
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/youngstown-state-advances-to-championship-game-uwm-and-wsu-still-alive-Valpo, Milwaukee and Youngstown State Win on Day 2 of Baseball Championship<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/20845/hot_entry.png?1400857416" title="Valpo, Milwaukee and Youngstown State Win on Day 2 of Baseball Championship" /><br clear='all' /><p>
<strong><u>Horizon League Baseball Championship Scoreboard (May 22)</u></strong><br />
(3) Valparaiso 2, (5) Oakland 0<br />
(4) Milwaukee 12, (2) UIC 4<br />
(6) Youngstown State 7, (1) Wright State 1<br />
<br />
<u><strong>Horizon League Baseball Tournament Schedule for Friday, May 23</strong></u><br />
11 a.m. - Game 6 - (3) Valparaiso vs. (2) UIC<br />
3 p.m. - Game 7 - (1) Wright State vs. Winner of Game 6<br />
7 p.m. - Game 8 - (6) Youngstown State vs. (4) Milwaukee</p>
<p>
<strong>(3) Valparaiso 2, (5) Oakland 0</strong><br />
Valparaiso&rsquo;s Dalton Lundeen fell one out short of a complete game shutout in the first game of the day at Kapco Park in Mequon, Wis., as the Crusaders defeated Oakland, 2-0.</p>
<p>
The loss knocked the Golden Grizzlies out of the tournament.</p>
<p>
After giving up four hits in the first three innings, Lundeen settled down and only gave up two hits in his last 5.2 innings of work as the sophomore struck out nine Golden Grizzlies on the day.&nbsp; He got two quick outs in the ninth inning, but was pulled after walking and hitting a batter. Karch Kowalczyk came on and walked one batter, but then got a groundout to close out the game and record his 10th save of the season.</p>
<p>
Lundeen lowered his League-best ERA to 1.94 on the season.</p>
<p>
Valparaiso received the only runs it needed in the third inning. Junior Mark Johnson led off the inning with a single and then stole second base. Spencer Mahoney walked and the Crusaders loaded the bases after a beautiful bunt down the third base line by Jeff Edwards went for a single. With the bases loaded, senior Chris Manning&nbsp; walked, forcing in Johnson to give the Crusaders a 1-0 lead. Kowalczyk staked Valpo to a 2-0 lead with a sacrifice fly to score Edwards.</p>
<p>
Eight different Crusaders recorded a hit in the game. Johnson and Andrew Bynum both recorded multi-hit games for the Crusaders.</p>
<p>
Junior outfielder Robby Enslen led Oakland&rsquo;s offensive effort as he went 3-for-4 at the plate. The rest of the Golden Grizzly batters went a combined 3-for-28 at the plate.</p>
<p>
<strong>(4) Milwaukee 12, (2) UIC 4</strong><br />
Milwaukee hit early and often and pitcher Brian Keller kept the high-powered UIC offense at bay on Thursday afternoon as the Panthers defeated the Flames,12-4, at Kapco Park.</p>
<p>
The Panthers outhit the top-hitting team in the League in the regular season, 15-7, while Keller went eight innings to earn the win.</p>
<p>
The 7-8-9 hitters in the UWM lineup combined for seven runs scored, seven hits and four runs batted in to pace a potent 15-hit attack.</p>
<p>
Sophomore Nick Unes went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, junior Tyler Hermann finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored and freshman Eric Solberg had a big two-RBI hit that opened the scoring and tacked on a third RBI later in the game.</p>
<p>
Sophomore Mitch Ghelfi continued his strong play in the postseason, finishing 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a pair driven in.</p>
<p>
Junior Ryan McShane and sophomore Dan Barwick (1-for-1, run scored) each added two RBI apiece.<br />
Fast-paced and scoreless until the top of the third, the Panthers struck first on Solberg&#39;s single up the middle that plated a pair of runs. Junior Derek Peake and McShane tacked on RBI-singles in the fourth to make it 5-0 at the time.</p>
<p>
The Flames finally crossed the dish in the bottom of the sixth with two runs as John Coen ripped a double to right center to begin the frame.&nbsp; After freshman Mickey McDonald was walked, junior slugger Jeff Boehm posted his 16th double of the season, driving in Coen and McDonald.</p>
<p>
UIC made it a 9-4 ballgame in the seventh after McDonald drove in redshirt junior Zenon Kolakowski on a fielder&rsquo;s choice, his 24th RBI of the season.</p>
<p>
<strong>(6) Youngstown State 7, (1) Wright State 1</strong><br />
Youngstown State hurler Jeremy Quinlan pitched a gem for the Penguins on Thursday night to keep YSU in the winner&rsquo;s bracket with a 7-1 win over top-seed Wright State.</p>
<p>
The freshman right-hander entered the contest with a 6.33 ERA on the season and zero wins, but he had no problem dispatching a Raider squad that went 25-4 in the Horizon League regular season as he set career-highs for innings pitched and strikeouts in his complete game victory.</p>
<p>
He finished the contest with six strikeouts (entered with 11 on the season) and previously his career-long outing was four innings. His ERA now stands at 5.00 on the year.</p>
<p>
The Penguins jumped on Wright State starter Joey Hoelzel for five runs and ended the Horizon League Co-Pitcher of the Year&#39;s day after three innings. The Raiders bullpen limited YSU to two runs over the final six innings, but Quinlan had all the help he needed.</p>
<p>
Phil Lipari led off the game with an infield single, and Alex Larivee followed with a walk. Brent Gillespie doubled in Lipari, and Matt Sullivan followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Larivee. Three batters later, Kevin Hix brought in Gillespie with a two-out single up the middle.</p>
<p>
The Penguins added a run in the second when Gillespie was hit by a pitch and scored on a wild pitch. That came after Hoelzel retired the first two batters of the inning. Shane Willoughby doubled and scored on an error in the third to put the Penguins up 5-0.</p>
<p>
Youngstown State went ahead 6-0 when David Saluga was hit by a pitch and scored on Lorenzo Arcuri&#39;s sacrifice fly in the seventh inning, and Arcuri singled in Willoughby in the ninth for the final tally.</p>
Horizon LeagueFri, 23 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/hlbb-championship-day-2
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/hlbb-championship-day-2Milwaukee and Youngstown State Win on First Day of #HLBB Championship<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/20834/hot_entry.jpg?1400710887" title="Milwaukee and Youngstown State Win on First Day of #HLBB Championship" /><br clear='all' /><p>
<u><strong>Horizon League Baseball Championship Scoreboard (May 21):</strong></u><br />
(4) Milwaukee 4, (5) Oakland 2<br />
(6) Youngstown State 7, (3) Valparaiso 1<br />
<br />
<u><strong>Horizon League Baseball Championship Schedule for May 22:</strong></u><br />
11 a.m. - (5) Oakland vs. (3) Valparaiso<br />
3 p.m. - (4) Milwaukee vs. (2) UIC<br />
7 p.m. - (6) Youngstown State vs. (1) Wright State<br />
<br />
<strong>(4) Milwaukee 4, (5) Oakland 2</strong><br />
Milwaukee won the opening game of the 2014 Horizon League Baseball Championship on Wednesday afternoon as the Panthers used a three-run seventh inning to take a 4-2 win over Oakland at Kapco Park.</p>
<p>
Oakland had taken a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh, but Derek Peake, UWM&rsquo;s leadoff batter in the bottom part of the inning, hit a double and advanced to the third on a fielding error to immediately get the Panthers in business. After a fly out and a hit by pitch, the Horizon League Player of the Year, Ryan Solberg, hit a double down the right field line to score Peake to tie the score at two. Pat Wilson followed with a single to score Mitch Ghelfi and give the Panthers a 3-2 lead. UWM extended the lead to two runs with a Tyler Hermann sacrifice fly to score Solberg.</p>
<p>
Oakland scored both of its runs thanks to clutch hitting by its First-Team All-Horizon League outfielder Robby Enslen. The junior singled in the top of the fifth inning with two outs to score Spencer Marentette and tie the game at 1. In the seventh inning, Enslen once again singled with two outs to score Marentette for the second time.</p>
<p>
Milwaukee opened the score in the bottom of the fourth inning when 2013 Horizon League Player of the Year Mike Porcaro singled to score Wilson.</p>
<p>
Milwaukee&rsquo;s Tyler Thicke pitched a complete game to secure the win. The senior struck out six, while scattering seven hits. It was the first complete game of the season for Thicke as the deepest he&rsquo;d gone into a game this season previously was six innings.</p>
<p>
Ghelfi, Porcaro and Wilson all had two hits for the Panthers to lead the offense. Enslen was the top performer for the Golden Grizzlies as the junior outfielder went 3-for-4 at the plate.</p>
<p>
Hager took the loss Oakland. The senior went 6.1 innings, allowing nine hits and four earned runs, while striking out four.<br />
<br />
<strong>(6) Youngstown State 7, (3) Valparaiso 3</strong><br />
Youngstown State was strong at the plate and on the mound in its Horizon League Baseball Championship opener as the Penguins knocked off third-seed Valparaiso, 7-3, at Kapco Park in Mequon, Wis.</p>
<p>
The Penguins outhit the Crusaders, 14-4, in the ball game, with five pitchers combining to limit the Valpo batters to .143 batting average.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Youngstown State struck first as the Penguins scored two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Kevin Hix and Shane Willoughby led off with back-to-back singles. After Lorenzo Arcuri laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up, Phil Lipari ripped a single to centerfield to score Hix. Alex Larivee then doubled to right center field to score Willoughby and YSU had a 2-0 lead.</p>
<p>
The Penguins added to their lead in the seventh inning when they had four-of-five consecutive at-bats go for extra base hits. Arcuri started with a double and scored when Lipari slugged a two-run home run over the right field wall. Larivee followed with his second double of the game, and after a foul out, scored when Matt Sullivan doubled to deep right center field.</p>
<p>
YSU bats did not cool off in the eighth inning as Kurt Laver hit a one-out double &ndash; YSU&rsquo;s fifth double of the day &ndash; to drive in two runs and give the Penguins a 7-1 lead.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
The Crusaders mounted a final comeback in the eighth inning, loading the bases with one out, but could only push across two runs before YSU got out of the inning.</p>
<p>
Valpo got on the board in the fifth inning, cutting YSU&rsquo;s lead to 2-1, courtesy of an Andy Burns home run.</p>
<p>
YSU was led by Lipari who finished the game 3-for-5 at the plate with a home run and three RBI. Hix, Larivee and Sullivan all had multi-hit games for the Penguins as well, as nine different YSU batters had a hit.</p>
<p>
Jared Wight picked up the win for YSU as the starter went four innings, allowing three hits and one earned run. The YSU bullpen combined to go five innings and allowing just one hit.</p>
<p>
Cole Webb took the loss for the Crusaders. The senior right-hander went 6.2 innings, allowing 12 hits, five earned runs and struck out six.</p>
Craig HammelWed, 21 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/milwaukee-and-youngstown-state-win-on-first-day-of-hlbb-championship
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/milwaukee-and-youngstown-state-win-on-first-day-of-hlbb-championship2014 Baseball Championship Tournament Central<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/20833/hot_entry.jpg?1400699065" title="2014 Baseball Championship Tournament Central" /><br clear='all' /><p>
2014 Horizon League Baseball Championship<br />
Hosted by Milwaukee at Kapco Park in Mequon, Wis.<br />
May 21-24, 2014</p>
<p>
<strong>Tickets</strong><br />
All-Session Passes:<br />
- Adults: $25<br />
- Children/Seniors: $20<br />
<br />
Day Passes:<br />
- Adults: $10<br />
- Children/Seniors: $8<br />
<br />
Groups (10+ people): $2/person<br />
<br />
*Horizon League students admitted free with valid school ID<br />
<br />
<strong>Directions to Kapco Park:</strong></p>
<p>
From the North:<br />
From I-43, exit Highway C and turn west.<br />
Turn south on Port Washington Road.<br />
Turn east on Highland Road.<br />
Turn north on N Lake Shore Drive.<br />
Turn east into Concordia University Wisconsin</p>
<p>
From the South:<br />
From I-43, exit Mequon Road and turn west.<br />
Turn north on Port Washington Road.<br />
Turn east on Highland Road.<br />
Turn north on N Lake Shore Drive.<br />
Turn east into Concordia University Wisconsin<br />
<br />
Physical Address:<br />
12800 N Lake Shore Drive<br />
Mequon, WI 53097<br />
&nbsp;</p>
<p>
<a href="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/medias/files/455/original.pdf?1400686442">Program</a>&nbsp;/ <a href="http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/horizon-league-announces-2014-baseball-awards.html">Baseball Award Winners</a></p>
<p>
<strong>Tournament Seeds</strong><br />
1. Wright State<br />
33-20 (25-4 HL) | <a href="http://www.wsuraiders.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27000&amp;SPID=92412&amp;SPSID=630815&amp;DB_OEM_ID=27000">Roster</a> | <a href="http://www.nmnathletics.com/fls/27000/legacy/m-basebl/Stats/2014Stats.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=27000">Statistics</a> | <a href="http://www.wsuraiders.com/SportSelect.dbml?&amp;DB_OEM_ID=27000&amp;SPID=92412&amp;SPSID=630818">Schedule</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
2. UIC&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
24-25 (17-13 HL) | <a href="http://www.uicflames.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/ilch-m-basebl-mtt.html">Roster</a> | <a href="http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ilch/sports/m-basebl/auto_pdf/2013-14/stats/season_stats.pdf">Statistics</a> | <a href="http://www.uicflames.com/sports/m-basebl/sched/ilch-m-basebl-sched.html">Schedule</a><br />
3. Valparaiso&nbsp;<br />
23-26 (12-12 HL) | <a href="http://www.valpoathletics.com/baseball/roster/">Roster</a> | <a href="http://www.valpoathletics.com/media/baseball/2013-14/Box%20Scores/teamcume.htm">Statistics</a> | <a href="http://www.valpoathletics.com/baseball/schedule/">Schedule</a><br />
4. Milwaukee&nbsp;<br />
19-27 (10-14 HL) | <a href="http://www.uwmpanthers.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/wiml-m-basebl-mtt.html">Roster</a> | <a href="http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/wiml/sports/m-basebl/auto_pdf/2013-14/misc_non_event/2014teamstats.pdf">Statistics</a> | <a href="http://www.uwmpanthers.com/sports/m-basebl/sched/wiml-m-basebl-sched.html">Schedule</a><br />
5. Oakland<br />
12-31 (7-17 HL) | <a href="http://www.ougrizzlies.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/oakl-m-basebl-mtt.html">Roster</a> | <a href="http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/oakl/sports/m-basebl/auto_pdf/2013-14/stats/season_stats.pdf">Statistics</a> | <a href="http://www.ougrizzlies.com/sports/m-basebl/sched/oakl-m-basebl-sched.html">Schedule</a><br />
6. Youngstown State<br />
12-36 (6-17 HL) | <a href="http://www.ysusports.com/sports/bsb/2013-14/roster">Roster</a> | <a href="http://static.psbin.com/4/k/h1gmc682gb0pe2/ysu-base-stats-2014.pdf">Statistics</a> | <a href="http://www.ysusports.com/sports/bsb/2013-14/schedule">Schedule</a></p>
<p>
<a href="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/sports/brackets/1/bracket.pdf?1400366522">Championship Bracket</a></p>
<p>
<br />
<strong>2014 Horizon League Baseball Tournament Schedule<br />
Wednesday, May 21 (All times CT)</strong><br />
Game 1: 11 a.m. &ndash; (4) Milwaukee 4, (5) Oakland 2 - <a href="http://www.uwmpanthers.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/052114aaa.html">Recap</a> | <a href="http://www.uwmpanthers.com/sports/m-basebl/stats/2013-2014/hlgame01.html">Box Score</a>&nbsp;| <a href="http://bit.ly/1j8J2Wh">Recap Video</a><br />
Game 2: 3 p.m. &ndash; (6) Youngstown State 7, (3) Valparaiso 3 - <a href="http://www.ysusports.com/sports/bsb/2013-14/releases/valpo-hlbb-recap-0521">Recap</a> | <a href="http://www.ysusports.com/sports/bsb/2013-14/boxscores/20140521_7yh6.xml">Box Score</a> | <a href="http://bit.ly/1j8J2Wh">Recap Video</a><br />
<strong>Thursday, May 22</strong><br />
Game 3: 11 a.m. &ndash; (3) Valparaiso 2, (5) Oakland 0 - <a href="http://www.valpoathletics.com/baseball/news/2013-14/13748/crusaders-survive-and-advance-behind-lundeens-gem/">Recap</a> | <a href="http://www.valpoathletics.com/baseball/boxscore/2013-14/4198/valpo-vs-oakland-05-22-2014/">Box Score</a>&nbsp;| <a href="http://bit.ly/1k9Jxok">Recap Video</a><br />
Game 4: 3 p.m. &ndash; (4) Milwaukee 12, (2) UIC 4 - <a href="http://www.uwmpanthers.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/052214aaa.html">Recap</a> | <a href="http://www.uwmpanthers.com/sports/m-basebl/stats/2013-2014/hlgame04.html#">Box Score</a>&nbsp;| <a href="http://bit.ly/1k9Jxok">Recap Video</a><br />
Game 5: 7 p.m. &ndash; (6) Youngstown State 7, (1) Wright State 1 - <a href="http://www.ysusports.com/sports/bsb/2013-14/releases/wsu-hlbb-recap-0522">Recap</a> | <a href="http://www.ysusports.com/sports/bsb/2013-14/boxscores/20140522_uka8.xml">Box Score</a>&nbsp;| <a href="http://bit.ly/1k9Jxok">Recap Video</a><br />
<strong>Friday, May 23</strong><br />
Game 6: 11 a.m. &ndash; (3) Valparaiso 1, (2) UIC 0 - <a href="http://www.valpoathletics.com/baseball/news/2013-14/13749/crusaders-cant-complete-comeback-season-ends-in-mequon/">Recap</a> | <a href="http://www.valpoathletics.com/baseball/boxscore/2013-14/4199/vs-uic-5-23-2014/">Box Score</a>&nbsp;| <a href="http://bit.ly/1oqGbNM">Recap Video</a><br />
Game 7: 3 p.m. &ndash; (1) Wright State 7, (3) Valparaiso 0 - <a href="http://www.wsuraiders.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27000&amp;ATCLID=209507174">Recap</a> | <a href="http://www.wsuraiders.com/fls/27000/boxscores/m-basebl/2013-14/55.pdf?SPSID=630822&amp;SPID=92412&amp;DB_LANG=C&amp;DB_OEM_ID=27000">Box Score</a>&nbsp;| <a href="http://bit.ly/1oqGbNM">Recap Video</a><br />
Game 8: 7 p.m. &ndash; (6) Youngstown State 11, (4) Milwaukee 5 - <a href="http://www.ysusports.com/sports/bsb/2013-14/releases/uwm-hlbb-recap-0523">Recap</a> | <a href="http://www.ysusports.com/sports/bsb/2013-14/boxscores/20140523_uhhu.xml">Box Score</a>&nbsp;| <a href="http://bit.ly/1oqGbNM">Recap Video</a><br />
<strong>Saturday, May 24</strong><br />
Game 9: 11 a.m. &ndash; (4) Milwaukee vs. (1) Wright State - <a href="http://www.horizonleague.org/live/11599">HLN</a> | <a href="http://horizon.cstv.com/gametracker/launch/gt_mbasebl.html?event=1347140&amp;school=hori&amp;sport=mbasebl&amp;camefrom=&amp;startschool=&amp;">Live Stats</a><br />
Game 10: 3 p.m. &ndash; (6) Youngstown State vs. Game 9 Winner - <a href="http://www.horizonleague.org/live/11105">HLN</a> | <a href="http://horizon.cstv.com/gametracker/launch/gt_mbasebl.html?event=1347141&amp;school=hori&amp;sport=mbasebl&amp;camefrom=&amp;startschool=&amp;">Live Stats</a><br />
<strong>Sunday, May 25 <em>(if necessary)</em></strong><br />
Game 11: 11 a.m. - Game 10 Winner vs. Game 10 Loser</p>
Horizon LeagueWed, 21 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/2014-baseball-championship-tournament-central
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/2014-baseball-championship-tournament-centralHorizon League Announces 2014 Baseball Awards<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/20831/hot_entry.jpg?1400596535" title="Horizon League Announces 2014 Baseball Awards" /><br clear='all' /><p>
INDIANAPOLIS &ndash;Milwaukee senior outfielder <strong>Ryan Solberg</strong> was named the 2014 Horizon League Baseball Player of the Year in voting of the league&rsquo;s head coaches, the League office announced Tuesday.</p>
<p>
Also receiving recognition were Wright State&rsquo;s <strong>Joey Hoelzel </strong>and Valparaiso&rsquo;s <strong>Dalton Lundeen</strong> (Co-Pitchers of the Year), while the rest of the specialty awards went to Wright State as <strong>Andrew Elliott </strong>(Relief Pitcher of the Year), <strong>Sean Murphy</strong> (Freshman of the Year) and <strong>Greg Lovelady </strong>(Coach of the Year) were all recognized.</p>
<p>
Solberg led the Horizon League with a .371 batting average and .575 slugging percentage. The Waukesha, Wis., native tied for League-high honors with seven home runs and ranked second with 41 RBI and a .452 on-base percentage. The senior also led the conference in stolen bases going 24-for-25 in his attempts.</p>
<p>
Hoelzel went 7-4 with a 3.43 ERA this season. He threw two complete games and one shutout in his 13 starts. He led the HL in innings pitched (89.1) and tied for the League-high with seven wins. He also ranked among League leaders with his 3.43 ERA and 55 strikeouts.</p>
<p>
Lundeen went 4-6 for the Crusaders this season, but paced the conference with his 2.17 ERA. The sophomore walked just 10 batters in 74.2 innings and had a 56:10 K:BB ratio in the regular season.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Elliott claimed Relief Pitcher of the Year after leading the League with 13 saves. The junior has a 0.77 ERA this season in 35.0 innings of work. He has struck out 48 batters, while giving up just 21 hits as opposing batters are hitting just .177 against him this season.</p>
<p>
Murphy batted .305 and slugged .458, good for seventh in the Horizon League. He collected 58 hits, including 11 doubles, three triples and four home runs. The freshman scored 37 runs, recorded 31 RBI and went 9-for-11 in stolen base attempts.</p>
<p>
For leading Wright State to a Horizon League regular season title in his first season as head coach, Lovelady earned Coach of the Year honors. The Raiders went 33-20 overall and 25-4 in conference play, earning the No. 1 seed in this week&#39;s Horizon League tournament. The 25 wins in the Horizon League season are the most since Notre Dame had 27 (27-5) in the 1990 season, and the Raiders conference winning percentage of .862 is the best in the League since Notre Dame won 90 percent of its games (18-2) in the 1992 season.</p>
<p>
<u><strong>2014 Horizon League Baseball Superlatives</strong></u><br />
<strong>Player of the Year: </strong>Ryan Solberg, Milwaukee (Sr., OF)<br />
<strong>Co-Pitchers of the Year: </strong>Joey Hoelzel, Wright State (Sr.) &amp; Dalton Lundeen, Valparaiso (So.)<br />
<strong>Relief Pitcher of the Year:</strong> Andrew Elliott, Wright State (Jr.)<br />
<strong>Freshman of the Year: </strong>Sean Murphy, Wright State (C)<br />
<strong>Coach of the Year: </strong>Greg Lovelady, Wright State</p>
<p>
<strong>First Team</strong><br />
P &ndash; Dalton Lundeen, Valparaiso (So)<br />
P &ndash; Joey Hoelzel, Wright State (Sr.)<br />
C &ndash; Alex Jurich, UIC (Sr.)<br />
1B &ndash; Jeff Boehm, UIC (Jr.)<br />
2B &ndash; Michael Timm, Wright State (Jr.)<br />
SS &ndash; Mike Brosseau, Oakland (So.)<br />
3B &ndash; Michael Morman, Valparaiso (Sr.)<br />
OF &ndash; Ryan Solberg, Milwaukee (Sr.)<br />
OF &ndash; Robby Enslen, Oakland (Jr.)<br />
OF &ndash; Tyler Detmer, UIC (Jr.)<br />
OF &ndash; Jeff Limbaugh, Wright State (Sr.)<br />
DH &ndash; Jacob McNamara, UIC (Sr.)<br />
UTL &ndash; John Coen, UIC (Sr.)</p>
<p>
<strong>Second Team</strong><br />
P &ndash; Tim Koons, Oakland (Sr.)<br />
P &ndash; Robby Sexton, Wright State (So.)<br />
C &ndash; Sean Murphy, Wright State (Fr.)<br />
1B &ndash; Pat Wilson, Milwaukee (Sr.)<br />
2B &ndash; Alex Lee, UIC (Jr.)<br />
SS &ndash; Ryan McShane, Milwaukee (Jr.)<br />
3B &ndash; Mickey McDonald, UIC (Fr.)<br />
3B &ndash; Jack Murphy, Wright State (Sr.)<br />
OF &ndash; Alex Larivee, Youngstown State (Fr.)<br />
OF &ndash; Chris Manning, Valparaiso (Sr.)<br />
OF &ndash; Connor Philbin, UIC (So.)<br />
DH &ndash; Jason DeFevers, Wright State (So.)<br />
UTL &ndash; Tyler Hermann, Milwaukee (Jr.)</p>
<p>
<strong>All-Freshman Team (Not Position Specific)</strong><br />
P &ndash; Mitchell Schulewitz, UIC<br />
P &ndash; Mario Losi, Valparaiso<br />
P &ndash; Ellis Foreman, Valparaiso<br />
P &ndash; Kevin Yarabinec, Youngstown State<br />
C &ndash; Sean Murphy, Wright State<br />
1B &ndash; Zach Sterry, Oakland<br />
SS &ndash; Cody Bohanek, UIC<br />
3B &ndash; Brett Krause, UIC<br />
3B &ndash; Mickey McDonald, UIC<br />
OF &ndash; Alex Larivee, Youngstown State<br />
OF &ndash; Brad Macciocchi, Wright State</p>
Craig HammelTue, 20 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/horizon-league-announces-2014-baseball-awards
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/horizon-league-announces-2014-baseball-awardsOakland's Enslen and Hager Named Baseball Players of the Week<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/20827/hot_entry.jpg?1400519105" title="Oakland&#x27;s Enslen and Hager Named Baseball Players of the Week" /><br clear='all' /><p>
INDIANAPOLIS -- Oakland junior<strong> Robby Enslen</strong> has been named the Horizon League Batter of the Week, while his senior teammate <strong>Jason Hager</strong> is the Pitcher of the Week for the period of May 12-18.</p>
<p>
Enslen won Batter of the Week for the second consecutive week after hitting .538 at the plate for the Golden Grizzlies as they took two of three games at UIC. He led Oakland with seven hits and four RBIs in the series. He went 3-for-4 in the series opener with two runs scored as Oakland won, 7-2. In the second game, Enslen hit a three-run home run to give Oakland a 5-2 lead.</p>
<p>
Enslen finished the series 7-of-13 at the plate with three runs scored and four more driven in.</p>
<p>
Hager picked up Pitcher of the Week after shutting down a potent UIC offense in the series opener. The Swartz Creek, Mich., native went six innings in the outing, allowing four hits and striking out four Flames batters as Oakland opened up a 7-0 lead. Hager has given up just one run in his last 15.0 innings pitched.</p>
<p>
Oakland is the No. 5 seed for the Horizon League Tournament and will open play on Wednesday against fourth-seed Milwaukee at 11 a.m. (CT).</p>
<p>
The 2014 Horizon League Baseball Tournament is being hosted by Milwaukee and played at Kapco Park in Mequon, Wis.</p>
<p>
<strong><u>Other Horizon League top performers (May 12-18):</u></strong><br />
<strong>Andrew Elliott, Wright State</strong> (Jr., RHP) - Elliott struck out five Milwaukee batters in 3.0 innings of work on Friday. He allowed just one hit and walked none.<br />
<strong>Anthony Konders, Youngstown State</strong> (Jr., RHP) &ndash; Konders pitched 2.2 scoreless innings of relief against Toledo on Tuesday. He did not allow a run in 2.0 innings of relief against Valparaiso. For the week, he struck out four batters in 4.2 innings of pitching.<br />
<strong>Phil Lipari, Youngstown State </strong>(Sr., 2B) &ndash; Lipari hit hits in all four games last week for the Penguins. He hit his career-high fourth home run of the season on Tuesday versus Toledo. He finished the week 7-of-15 (.467) at the plate.<br />
<strong>Dalton Lundeen, Valparaiso</strong> (So., LHP) - Lundeen picked up the win with eight innings of work at Youngstown State. He struck out six and walked zero batters, while lowering his League-best ERA to 2.17. He finished the regular season with a 56:10 K:BB ratio.<br />
<strong>Chris Manning, Valparaiso</strong> (Sr., RF) - Manning hit .429 (6-of-14) for the Crusaders last week. He had three RBIs and three runs scored as Valpo won all three games at YSU.<br />
<strong>Andrew McCafferty, Wright State</strong> (Jr., 1B) - McCafferty had a hit in all three WSU games versus Milwaukee last weekend. He went 2-for-5 with an RBI and run scored in the Raiders win on Friday.<br />
<strong>Mickey McDonald, UIC</strong> (Fr., 3B) - McDonald hit .333 at the plate for the Flames last week. He belted a three-run go-ahead homer for UIC on Friday in the Flames win over Oakland. He is currently on a 10-game hitting streak.<br />
<strong>Joe Perricone, UIC</strong> (So., RHP) - Perricone tossed a complete game against Michigan. He allowed six singles through eight innings of work, while striking out two and giving up two earned runs.<br />
<strong>Jake Tuttle, Milwaukee</strong> (So., LHP) - Tuttle picked up a win over Wright State on Saturday, allowing just one run in seven innings of work. He allowed six hits, while striking out three in the contest.</p>
<p>
<u><strong>Horizon League Batter of the Week:</strong></u><br />
Feb. 17: Spencer Mahoney, Valparaiso (Jr., SS)<br />
Feb. 24: Robby Enslen, Oakland (Jr., OF)<br />
Mar. 3: Alex Jurich, UIC (Sr., C)<br />
Mar. 10: Sean Murphy, Wright State (Fr., C)<br />
Mar. 17: Kieston Greene, Wright State (Sr., OF)<br />
Mar. 24: Tyler Detmer, UIC (Jr., OF)<br />
Mar. 31: Ryan Solberg, Milwaukee (Sr., OF)<br />
Apr. 7: Alex Lee, UIC (Jr., INF)<br />
Apr. 14: Mark Johnson, Valparaiso (Jr., OF)<br />
Apr. 21: Jeff Limbaugh, Wright State (Sr., LF)<br />
Apr. 28: Kieston Greene, Wright State (Sr., OF)<br />
May 5: Sean Murphy, Wright State (Fr., C)<br />
May 12: Robby Enslen, Oakland (Jr., OF)<br />
May 19: Robby Enslen, Oakland (Jr., OF)</p>
<p>
<u><strong>Horizon League Pitcher of the Week:</strong></u><br />
Feb. 17: Joey Hoelzel, Wright State (Sr., RHP)<br />
Feb. 24: Travis Hissong, Wright State (Jr., RHP)<br />
Mar. 3: Jake Paulson, Oakland (Jr., RHP)<br />
Mar. 10: Dalton Lundeen, Valparaiso (So., LHP)<br />
Mar. 17: Joey Hoelzel, Wright State (Sr., RHP)<br />
Mar. 24: Robby Sexton, Wright State (So., LHP)<br />
Mar. 31: Jack Andersen, UIC (So., RHP)<br />
Apr. 7: Dalton Lundeen, Valparaiso (So., LHP)<br />
Apr. 14: Dalton Lundeen, Valparaiso (So., LHP)<br />
Apr. 21: Cody Peterson, Milwaukee (Jr., RHP)/Cole Webb, Valparaiso (Sr., RHP)<br />
Apr. 28: Andrew Elliott, Wright State (Jr., RHP)<br />
May 5: Tim Koons, Oakland (Sr., RHP)<br />
May 12: Ellis Foreman, Valparaiso (Fr., RHP)<br />
May 19: Jason Hager, Oakland (Sr., LHP)</p>
Craig HammelMon, 19 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/oaklands-enslen-and-hager-named-baseball-players-of-the-week
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/oaklands-enslen-and-hager-named-baseball-players-of-the-weekField Set for 2014 Baseball Championship<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/20820/hot_entry.jpg?1400424898" title="Field Set for 2014 Baseball Championship" /><br clear='all' /><p>
The 2014 regular season concluded on Saturday as the final seeds were determined for next week&rsquo;s Horizon League tournament at Kapco Park in Mequon, Wis.</p>
<p>
The Wright State Raiders captured the regular season crown with a 25-4 League mark and will be the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The 25 wins in the Horizon League season are the most since Notre Dame had 27 (27-5) in the 1990 season, and the Raiders conference winning percentage of .862 is the best in the League since Notre Dame won 90 percent of its games (18-2) in the 1992 season.</p>
<p>
UIC is the No. 2 seed in the tournament and like top-seed Wright State will receive a bye to Thursday&rsquo;s action.</p>
<p>
The tournament begins on Wednesday, May 21 when No. 4 seed Milwaukee and No. 5 seed Oakland play at 11 a.m. No. 3 seed Valparaiso and No. 6 seed Youngstown State begin championship action at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.</p>
<p>
It is a double-elimination tournament with the championship game scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday. If the team that advanced to the championship game from the losing bracket wins that game, the two teams will play again at 11 a.m. on Sunday.</p>
<p>
The winner of the Horizon League tournament receives the conference&rsquo;s bid into the NCAA Tournament.</p>
<p>
All tournament games will be shown on the Horizon League Network.</p>
<p>
<strong>2014 Horizon League Baseball Tournament at Kapco Park<br />
Wednesday, May 21 <em>(All times CT)</em></strong><br />
Game 1: 11 a.m. &ndash; (5) Oakland vs. (4) Milwaukee<br />
Game 2: 3 p.m. &ndash; (6) Youngstown State vs. (3) Valparaiso<br />
<strong>Thursday, May 22</strong><br />
Game 3: 11 a.m. &ndash; Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser<br />
Game 4: 3 p.m. &ndash; Higher Seed of Game 1 &amp; 2 Winners vs. (2) UIC<br />
Game 5: 7 p.m. &ndash; Lower Seed of Game 1 &amp; 2 Winners vs. (1) Wright State<br />
<strong>Friday, May 23</strong><br />
Game 6: 11 a.m. &ndash; Game 3 Winner vs. Lower Seed of Game 4 &amp; Game 5 Losers (*If one of the Game 4 or Game 5 losers has already had a bye, then that team will play in Game 6)<br />
Game 7: 3 p.m. &ndash; Game 6 Winner vs. Higher Seed of Game 4 &amp; Game 5 Losers<br />
Game 8: 7 p.m. &ndash; Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner<br />
<strong>Saturday, May 24</strong><br />
Game 9: 11 a.m. &ndash; Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser<br />
Game 10: 3 p.m. &ndash; Game 8 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner<br />
<strong>Sunday, May 25 <em>(if necessary)</em></strong><br />
Game 11: 11 a.m. - Game 10 Winner vs. Game 10 Loser</p>
Craig HammelSun, 18 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/field-set-for-2014-baseball-championship
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/field-set-for-2014-baseball-championshipHLBB Weekly - May 14th, 2014<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/20807/hot_entry.png?1400090117" title="HLBB Weekly - May 14th, 2014" /><br clear='all' />Horizon LeagueWed, 14 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/hlbb-weekly---june-14th-2014
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/hlbb-weekly---june-14th-2014Interview: Mike Dee<img alt="Hot_entry" src="http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/hot_entry_photos/20806/hot_entry.png?1400089794" title="Interview: Mike Dee" /><br clear='all' />Horizon LeagueWed, 14 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/interview-mike-dee
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/interview-mike-dee